TESTIMONY OF CHARLES COLSON REGARDING CIS INVOLVEMENT IN WATERGATE

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01482006
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2017
• Case Number: F-2007-00094
• Publication Date: July 19, 1974

_
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482006
19 JULY 1974
MEMORANDUM FOR: Acting Deputy Director for Operations
SUBJECT:
Testimony of Charles Colson Regarding
-CIA Involvement in Watergate
1. Attached is an extract from Charles ColsonJs
testimony under oath on 19 June 73 before the CIA Over-
sight Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Colson transcript, incidentally,.was recently received.
from the Special Prosecutor's Office along with other.
documents. and transcripts with the request that this
material be sanitized for possible use in the Watergate
trial scheduled for September.
a. I consider the attached exchange between Senator
Young and Mr. Colson important because it indicates that
only one year ago, after he resigned from the White House
staff and became a "child of Christ", Mr. Colson had
no reason to suspect CIA of any significant involvement
in Watergate. This is in sharp contrast to recent- state-
ments he has made directly to the media or via Mr. Richard
Bast, a private investigator, that CIA was deeply enmeshed -
in 'Watergate events, as Mr. Colson alleged in a TV inter--
view on 7 June 1974.
3. What this means is that unless Mr. Colson has
come upon some new and hitherto unpublicized evidence
since leaving the White House staff, he actually knows
no more about CIA than he did in June of 73 when he
admitted that his knowledge of CIA involvement in
Watergate was "mostly hearsay,"
4. It would appear prudent and timely to invite
the attention of our oversight committees and, perhaps,
several selected media representatives to the attached
exchange between Senator Young and Mr. Colson.
(b)(3)
Attachment as noted
_T
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482006
arrl iYt1571 P l ;177TnNi
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482006
PURPORTED JUJEMPT TO INVOLVE THE CENTRA- INTELLIGENCE
AGENCY IN THE WATERGATE AND ELLSBERG INCIDENTS
Tuesday, June 19, 1973
U. S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, D. C.
Excerpt - line 22 page 456 through line 4 page 458
SenAtor Young. I have just one or two short questions.
What was the total, total CIA involvement in Watergate as
well as the Ellsberg affair? Was it more than obtaining
equipment?
Mr. Colson. The only thing I know, Senator, that the CIA
was involved in as a specific project was a psychiatric or
psychological profile, which, I understood from the memorandum
I received from Mr. Young and Mr. Krogh -- I had understood
that the CIA was conducting that. I had heard discussions of
it. I really have no direct knowledge of CIA involvement. As
I have testified, it was my impression that Mr. Hunt was in
communication with the CIA during the period that he was on the
White House staff but I am not personally aware of'it.
Senator Young. There is former testimony to the effect
that Mr. Hunt was in contact with them. I don't know of any
other testimony that linked the CIA with the Ellsberg case
where CIA officials themselves were involved in it. Maybe I am
wrong.
Mr. Colson. I have no knowledge other than what I have
said. The only direct knowledge I have is the one memorandum
which I received indicating that the CIA was working with Mr.
Krogh's unit in terms of the psychological profile and, of
course, whatever conversations I had with Mr. Ehrlichman, when-
ever they were.
Senator Young. You said: when the CIA was involved in
this. Whom do you mean in CIA, which officials in CIA?
Mr. Colson. I don't know, sir. I had no contact with the
CIA during this period. As I have said in my statement, I did
not even know of the existence of the meetings with the CIA
following the Watergate.
Senator Young. Your test4ony would seem to indicate that
your knowledge of the CIA�inaII)-ement is mostly hearsay, then?
Mr. Colson. let,j sir.
Approved for Release: 2017/01/18 C01482006